Uruguay's week in China opened with a business seminar in Beijing and a gastronomic cultural show

Uruguay and the People's Republic of China are commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the re-establishment of their diplomatic relations with various activities taking place throughout 2018.

Uruguay's Week in China will take place during August, and began on Monday 20 with a business seminar in Beijing, which will also tour the cities of Chongqing and Guangzhou, with a delegation headed by Uruguayan Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa, Uruguay's Ambassador to China Fernando Lugris and the Executive Director of Uruguay XXI, Antonio Carámbula.

In Beijing, the event organized by the investment, export and country image promotion agency, Uruguay XXI and the Uruguayan embassy in China, received more than 250 high-level businessmen and potential investors, in addition to government authorities, personalities and Chinese press.

"In these 30 years our foreign policy towards China has remained constant, ratifying the strategic importance that this country has in the economic and commercial development of Uruguay," said Nin Novoa at a press conference, after signing an agreement last Sunday by which Uruguay became the first country in the South Atlantic and Mercosur to join the 21st Century Silk Road, a Chinese initiative known as "One Belt One Road".

The Uruguayan Foreign Minister added that "the complementarity between Uruguay and China presents very promising prospects for boosting new engines of bilateral ties, such as greater trade in services, the promotion of more joint projects in scientific and agricultural research, the attraction of more investment in Uruguay's infrastructure, services and industry sectors, as well as greater exchanges and trips by tourists, students and businessmen from both countries, among others".

The Inspector General of the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Lei Hong, also mentioned that diplomatic relations between the two countries are at their most important moment and recalled the visit of President Tabaré Vázquez in 2016, as well as the successful China-LAC summit held in Punta del Este at the end of 2017.

This meeting served to promote the country as a gateway to Latin America and a hub for business, logistics and technology, as well as a destination for investments in infrastructure, agribusiness and corporate services. On these points, Carámbula pointed out that, although Uruguay is famous for its football and its meat, the aim is to make it known for its macroeconomic solidity, its institutional strength and its quality of life.

"We are a country that can be invested in, reliable and with a privileged position in the southern cone to be considered by the initiative `One belt, one road' as the gateway to Latin America and as a logistics hub to set up businesses in the region," he said.

The guests also enjoyed the "Flavors of Uruguay" cocktail, led by Chef Sebastián Barcos and sommelier Javier Muyala, which included a tasting of typical Uruguayan products such as meat, wine, dairy products, olive oil and caviar. This activity in the Chinese market reinforced the concepts put forward by the chancellor during the seminar, who declared that "more and more Chinese consumers are identifying Uruguay as an intelligent agricultural producer of healthy, innocuous and reliable food".

On the other hand, during this week, there will be several activities related to the 30th anniversary organized by the diplomatic representation in China: the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Official Residence of Uruguay in Beijing and the art exhibition "Postales Orientales", the presentation of the Seal commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations issued by the Chinese Post Office and the donation of an aerial photograph of the Centennial Stadium during the 1930 World Cup final to the Instituto Cervantes in Beijing.

On Tuesday, August 21th, the closing ceremony of the Uruguayan Film Series will also take place, organized by the Uruguayan Embassy in coordination with the Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Institute (ICAU), with the presence of Foreign Minister Nin Novoa. Meanwhile, on Friday, August 24th, the agenda of commercial, gastronomic and cultural promotion activities will be moved to the city of Chongquing and on Monday, August 27th, they will culminate in the city of Guangzhou, where the new Uruguayan consulate will also be inaugurated.

This official visit, with events organized as part of the "Urugua's Week in China", as well as the participation in November in the 12th China-LAC Summit in Zhuhai and the first Chinese importers' fair in Shanghai, aims to promote the knowledge of Uruguay and its qualities as a strategic business partner, in order to continue expanding the relationship between both markets.

At present, China is Uruguay's largest trading partner, with an exchange of US$ 2.549 billion and a 20% share of its total exports from the Latin American country.